Are you sticking to the resolutions you made?

When you hear the word resolutions, your mind immediately wanders to the ones you made on New Years’ day with so much anticipation. It is such a fun part of the kick off to the brand new year. Well, how are those coming along as we approach the end of the first month? Hopefully you didn’t start making excuses for the ones that didn’t realize yet. That is the thing with New Years’ Resolutions, they can be quite intimidating. Hang in there; there is plenty of time left to do it all!

SERVICE

We like to make resolutions about important things. We dream big, which is good! What about good service? One sometimes can’t help but wondering about the quality of the service we receive in general. Why is it so difficult to get good service these days? It seems to be an ongoing struggle to get things done which you sometimes pay an arm and a leg for. Nobody really cares if you take your business elsewhere. They know the next victim will walk through their doors soon enough.

Little irritations like poor service can be one of the biggest dream stealers. Just think how you are oftentimes sent from the one counter to the next and back without any resolution to your query. You just land in the one long line after the other, frustrated out of your socks! People sometimes seem so incompetent. Not to mention those hideous tunes in your ear when put through from the one operator to the other. Every time after listening to a new menu, you sing your song to yet another before the line gets cut! Then of course, just to start all over again! Ever wondered where all the stress related illnesses and road rage has it’s origin? No wonder we are all too tightly strung these days, even early in the year.

THE EASY WAY OUT

It just became oh so easy to pass the buck. Let it be someone else’s problem to solve. It is easier to think out excuses than of practical solutions to resolve the matter. Laziness seems to be the number one weakness of our time. While many are too lazy to work, they are just as lazy to even think.

SELF PRIDE = WORK PRIDE

Not that many people really take pride in their work anymore. If someone doesn’t have pride in what they do in public, is it possible that they have any self-respect at all? In the end, so many diligent workers start living by the motto of “If you can’t beat them, join them”. They feel aggrieved for working alone while their lazy colleagues equally get paid for their poor performance, without consequence.

REAL RESOLUTIONS

Time has come to start being proud of ourselves again and in whatever we do. If we disappoint our employers or clients, we end up disappointing ourselves as well. Don’t be ashamed of your work, no matter how insignificant it might seem. Use your talents to find real resolutions to whatever challenge presents itself. When we are grateful for the opportunity to render a service while earning a living, we will be proud of what we do. When we are proud of what we do, the result will be nothing short of excellence!

Author: Maritha Koortzen

Contact Maritha: marithak@webmail.co.za

The author writes to various websites and newspapers mostly on Health and Social Issues. She also talks at Ladies Events about Health and Wellness. Feel free to contact her for any free lance writing.

To make Resolutions … or not

You know the funny thing is I will sit down and think of all the good things I want to do each year and really what I want to achieve.

I read Aunty Acid’s resolution “I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I didn’t become a better person.”’ Aai – aai Aunty Acid works on her attitude.

I believe we need to be active in staying focused on our resolutions. The bright and clever people tell me:

Write it down (typing doesn’t work apparently) it must be in your own handwriting.

Be specific about what it is you want to achieve.

Stay focused and read through these resolutions you have put in place.

By practicing it each day you empower yourself to become excellent – we all strife for excellence don’t we?

Think on your resolution as often as possible. I know according to the Bible it state “what a man thinketh he becometh.” So when you stay tuned to your resolutions and think on it and I am sure this will absolutely lead to acting on it.

Please also note that your resolutions are your own and you should keep them to yourselves. Why? Well the thing is, you will find many people are ‘nay Sayers’. They will listen to what you have planned and get jealous and start telling you ‘ah, that’s silly, why – would you want to learn how to love your family and friends.’ You think hmmm its true, it’s silly and then you leave it and go back to your old habits.

What’s changed? You have put your resolution out there and someone already put you back into your own little box. I say, get out of your box, don’t tell everyone what you are hoping to achieve this year. Build on your attitude and life and become an influencer instead of being influenced by others. Change yourself before you can change your friends.

Author: Yvette van Niekerk

Bio: I am an enthusiastic Freelance writer; I have been afforded the opportunity to showcase my writing on Auto and Generals Blog pages; Budget Insurance blog. Which to me is truly wonderful I also have my own blog space which is Spiritually motivated and I draw my inspirations from the Word of God.

The scourge of the forgotten elderly

Modern society is fast-paced, stressful and demanding. People live busy lives and they feel that they have to keep pace with their peers. As a consequence, family life suffers. Many families almost never spend their fee time together. Children are left in the care of strangers and those that can afford it keep their children busy with extramural activities. But it not just children that suffer. Perhaps the most vulnerable victims of modern society are the elderly.

Many thousands of elderly and frail people flounder in institutions, being cared for by indifferent staff. They are placed in those institutions by their own children and loved ones; supposedly to make sure that they receive professional care and that they will be able to enjoy a social life among their own age group.

The cruel reality is that many of these elderly people are desperately lonely, utterly depressed and thoroughly bored. Many elderly people are lucky to receive a visit from their own children perhaps once a year! They feel abandoned and worthless. They do not understand why they have been discarded by their own loved ones.

When a loved one becomes unable to look after him- or herself, it is vital to carefully consider the options and the of sequences of each option. Think carefully about the following things before making a decision to place an elderly parent in a “home”.

The word “home” in the phrase “old age home” is a terrible misnomer. These places are not homes. Homes are places where everyone belongs, loves each other and share each other’s lives. A home is a safe haven. In many old age homes, residents are left to fend for themselves. Abuse in all its ugly forms is common. Placing an elderly loved one in such a place should be the absolutely last resort.

Young people forget about the many sacrifices that their parents made to give them the best life they possibly could. They forget that their parents denied themselves many things in order to satisfy the needs and wants of their children. And the young people conveniently forget that they owe their parents a debt of gratitude. They deny the fact that it is their sacred duty to make sure that they spend the last years of their lives enveloped in comfort, love and security.